Winner of Wattpad India Awards 2020 (Judge's Choice) in the New Adult category.
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"The lights are cheeky, you can't live without them, and yet if you get too close, they'll blind you. Darkness? Well it doesn't cheat. It's cool and soothing. It's r...
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The sound of a goat bleating woke Madhu up the next morning.
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she squinted out of the window. A woman was poking around the house, one hand clutching the rope encircling the thin neck of a goat next to her.
"Oi! Champa!" Madhu called out, once it became clear who she was. "What are you doing there?"
The woman jumped, turning her head in every direction to locate the source of the voice until her eyes landed on Madhu, who had her torso hanging out of the window.
She backed away quickly, folding her hands and bowing deeply. "Looking for the backdoor memsahib," she said, sounding tiny.
"Back...? No there's no need to, come through the main one." Madhu removed herself from the window before Champa could reply, motioning in the general area of the entrance.
When she stepped out on the porch, Champa was already there, standing in the far corner of the main gate, beneath the Litchi tree. She was wearing the same shabby red sari from the other day, but it looked much cleaner, its faded colour devoid of any mud.
Seeing Madhu, she gently walked towards the porch, leaving her goat tied to the bars of the gate. Madhu noticed that she gave a wide berth to the black Tulsi located next to the last step of the porch, careful not to touch it.
"Why don't you leave Rani in the shed? She can eat some fodder there, I'm sure the cows won't mind."
"Oh okay." Champa mumbled. As she started back towards her goat, Madhu gave another offhand instruction.
"Oh also, would you mind watering the Tulsi for me? And the rest of the plants? I always forget to do that."
"Y--You want me to water the Tulsi?"
"Yes, that's what I said. Do that and then meet me in the kitchen." With that, Madhu went inside, leaving behind a dumbfounded Champa.
It took about ten minutes for Madhu to wash before she entered the kitchen-cum-dining room to see that Champa was furiously telling something to Nakoo, stopping quickly when she noticed Madhu.
"I just asked Champa to prepare dalia for breakfast, if that's okay with you."
Madhu nodded, chewing on her cheek to stop herself from asking what they were discussing. They clearly didn't want her to know.
She sat down, flicking through the Economic Times that Nakul somehow got delivered here. He himself was absorbed in the editorial of Dainik Jagran.
"What is the rate here," she scribbled on a piece of grey newspaper, slipping it over to his side.
Nakoo raised his brows, glancing over at Champa who was chopping orange carrots before scribbling something down.
"There is no rate here, no one can afford domestic help, you'll have to decide her salary by yourself." In contrast to his large persona, his handwriting was neat and cursive.
